Day 4 – Trust and Temptation
Sin Meets Grace
However you can engage today, we’re here. Read, listen or both.
The written portion gives an overview, with verses broken down into smaller bites, and journaling/prayer prompts for reflection. In the podcast, Steve Traylor reflects on today’s passage with Scripture reading, a deeper pastoral teaching, and prayer (about 15 minutes). Perfect for morning coffee, commutes, or when your eyes need a rest.
Genesis 3:1–13
Step into the Garden with eyes open and heart alert.
We encounter humanity’s first fracture—disobedience and fear enter the world.
You may notice areas in your life where hiding, denial, or temptation take root.
This passage shows the weight of sin, the holiness of God, and the beginnings of His redemptive plan.
God confronts sin with truth and offers the mercy that leads to repentance.
As you read, reflect, and pray today, imagine God walking into your fear and calling you into honesty.
When you turn toward Him, even in your shame, you will find Him already pursuing you—a grace that seeks even when we run.
1. The Question that Twists
Genesis 3:1–3
¹ Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, ³ but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”
The serpent does not begin with accusation. He begins with confusion.
He reshapes God’s generous command into something narrow and withholding.
Eve responds—but notice—she adds to God’s words: “You shall not touch it.”
The first fracture is not eating. It is distrusting God by distorting His Word, reframing God as less good than He truly is.
This is the seed of rebellion—doubting God’s character, questioning His kindness, suspecting His motives.
When we lose sight of God’s goodness, sin begins to feel reasonable.
And if we’re honest, we see ourselves here. We, too, have questioned whether God is truly good. We, too, have wondered if His commands are restrictive rather than protective. We, too, have added our own requirements to His Word, making it heavier than He intended.
This is where sin takes root—not always in dramatic rebellion, but in quiet suspicion that God is holding something back.
Journaling / Prayer Where have you recently questioned God’s goodness, care, or timing?
Write a simple sentence of honesty before Him.
If you’re struggling with God’s providence, bring that honestly to Him — confessing both your confusion and your temptation to doubt His goodness.
He can handle your honesty. He is not fragile. And He would rather you speak your doubt aloud than bury it in silence where it festers.
2. Seeing, Desiring, Reaching
Genesis 3:4–7
⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die, ⁵ for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too. ⁷ Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.
The fruit looked good. The desire seemed reasonable. And so they took—and ate.
But what opened was not fullness—it was loss. Loss of ease, of innocence, of rest.
Suddenly they are exposed—not only before God, but before one another.
They respond as we often do: They cover what feels vulnerable. They hide what feels shameful.
Notice the immediate consequence: sin brings spiritual and relational fracture. What was once open and unashamed is now guarded and fearful.
This is the nature of sin—it promises freedom but delivers bondage. It promises wisdom but delivers shame. It promises life but delivers death.
And yet, even here, God’s judgment is not the end of the story. His holiness demands justice, yes. Even as God’s righteous judgment begins, His grace is already evident.
Journaling / Prayer Where are you working hard to appear “fine”? Where are you covering fear, shame, or need?
Name it gently.
If you’re hiding something—even from yourself—ask God to help you bring it into the light.
If you feel the weight of your reluctance, ask God for the grace to confess fully.
God is ready to meet you. Not with condemnation, but with truth and grace woven together.
3. The God Who Walks Toward Us
Genesis 3:8–10
⁸ They heard the LORD God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
⁹ The LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
¹⁰ The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
God comes. He walks toward the very ones who have turned from Him.
He does not storm. He does not rage. He calls.
“Where are you?” is not a question of location. God knows where they are.
It is an invitation to step out of hiding. A call to honesty. A summons to relationship, even after rebellion.
God still speaks this to you. Not to shame, but to restore.
Even in judgment, God’s grace is evident—He seeks the sinner, not merely to punish, but to redeem.
This anticipates the heart of the gospel: God does not wait for us to come to Him. He comes to us. He pursues. He calls.
And one day, He will send His Son to do the same—to walk into the garden of our brokenness and call us out of hiding, not with condemnation, but with the promise of restoration.
Journaling / Prayer Where are you hiding—from God, others, or yourself?
Sit with that question. Let God find you there.
If you’re afraid of what He’ll say when He finds you, tell Him that. Say: “I’m afraid You’re angry. I’m afraid You’re disappointed. I’m afraid You’ll reject me.”
And then listen for His response—not in an audible voice, but in the truth of Scripture: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31:3).
God comes to convict and restore — and this mercy calls us out of the path of judgment.
4. Blame and Broken Fellowship
Genesis 3:11–13
¹¹ God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
¹² The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
¹³ The LORD God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Blame is the language of shame.
Once trust breaks, relationship breaks too. We defend. We distance. We justify.
Adam blames Eve—and subtly, God Himself: “The woman whom You gave to be with me...” Eve blames the serpent.
Neither takes full responsibility.
But notice: God continues the conversation. He does not leave. He does not abandon.
Even now, He is moving toward redemption that will unfold slowly, faithfully, and with great love.
Sin does not end the story — it sets the stage for God’s redemptive plan.
God’s holiness means He is perfectly pure—utterly good, completely free from any evil or compromise. His justice means He cannot ignore or excuse wrongdoing; He must act against sin. These aren’t harsh character flaws—they’re expressions of His goodness.
Sin brings real consequences, yes. God’s holiness is not diminished. His justice is not compromised.
But His holiness is coupled with mercy. His justice is paired with grace.
And the God who walks in the garden seeking Adam is the same God who will one day send His Son to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).
Journaling / Prayer Where are you shifting blame or avoiding truth today?
Ask God for courage to tell the truth gently and simply.
If you’re afraid to admit fault—if confession feels too risky—tell Him that. Say: “I’m afraid if I tell the truth, everything will fall apart.”
And then hear this promise: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
The truth may hurt. But it will not destroy you. And on the other side of honesty is freedom.
Summary
In the garden, trust fractures. Desire overtakes obedience. Shame replaces rest. Fear replaces joy. And hiding replaces fellowship.
Yet—God comes toward the broken. He seeks. He calls. He invites truthfulness, not perfection.
Your hiding place is the very place where God meets you.
Even in the fall, we see the first glimmer of hope: God does not abandon Adam and Eve. He pursues them. He confronts their sin, yes—but He does not leave them in it.
This is the beginning of a story that will unfold through all of Scripture: God rescuing what is broken.
One day, He will send His own Son to deal with sin fully and finally. But even here, in Genesis 3, we see His heart: He comes toward us, not away from us.
That is the hope we hold onto—God does not leave the broken in their hiding.
Action / Attitude for Today
Walk through your day willing to be found.
Do not rush to cover your weakness, justify your actions, or explain your motives.
Instead, when you feel the urge to hide—pause. Lift your eyes toward God.
Remember that His love reaches even the places you’d rather hide.
If you can, choose one area of hiding today and bring it into the light—even if only to God in prayer.
If you cannot yet, tell Him: “I’m not ready. But I want to be.”
That is enough. Because the God who walked in the garden is still walking. Still seeking. Still calling.
And He will not stop until He has brought you fully out of hiding and into the light of His love.
Even in the fall, His grace pursues. Even in the shame, His voice calls:
“Where are you?”
Come out. He is waiting with arms open wide.
The Bible for the Broken is published by Aurion Press LLC. © Aurion Press LLC. All rights reserved.